Centre clears appointment of Justices N Kotiswar Singh, R Mahadevan as Supreme Court judges

The Central government has notified the appointments of Jammu & Kashmir High Court Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan as judges of the Supreme Court..The Supreme Court Collegium had on July 11 recommended the appointments of the two judges..The apex court will now function at its full strength of 34 judges, once the two are sworn in..Justice Singh has been serving as Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court since February 2023.He originally hails from Manipur and would be the first Supreme Court judge from that State. Justice Singh was born on March 1, 1963 at Imphal IN Manipur, to (Late) Justice N Ibotombi Singh of the Gauhati High Court, who had served as the first Advocate General of Manipur and N Gomati Devi.He briefly practiced before the Supreme Court of India before shifting to the Gauhati High Court. He was designated a Senior Advocate by the Gauhati High Court in 2008.In 2011, Justice Singh was sworn in as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court and in 2012, he was made a permanent judge.He was appointed a judge of the Manipur High Court upon its creation in the year 2013. He was later transferred to the Gauahti High Court in 2018 before being elevated as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court..Justice Mahadevan has been serving as Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court since May 2024.Justice Mahadevan completed his law degree at Madras Law College and enrolled as a lawyer in the year 1989.He practiced on the civil, criminal and writ sides with specialisation in indirect taxes, customs and Central Excise matters for a period of 25 years. He served as Additional Government Pleader (Taxes) for the Government of Tamil Nadu, and Additional Central Government Standing Counsel and Senior Panel Counsel for the Government of India at the Madras High Court, and conducted more than 9,000 cases.He was elevated as a judge of the Madras High Court in the year 2013.